


Stealth Mission

by FestiveFerret, JehBeeEh



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Secret Relationship, Team Dynamics, Zoom calls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24991402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FestiveFerret/pseuds/FestiveFerret, https://archiveofourown.org/users/JehBeeEh/pseuds/JehBeeEh
Summary: The Avengers are scattered all over the world, but they come together for a video conference. Something, however, is not quite as it seems.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 55
Kudos: 721
Collections: Tony Stark Bingo 2020





	Stealth Mission

Clint leaned back in the chair he’d settled in and enjoyed five minutes of peace and quiet before their meeting started. There hadn’t been much of that during his stay-cation – not that he minded too much. He looked at the screen, still the only person appearing until he spotted Steve pop up. He was looking somewhere over his screen though and didn’t notice Clint wave at him at first. And did he just mouth, _thank you-?_

“Daddy, Daddy, DADDY!”

Clint groaned playfully, as Lila jumped on his lap. “You found me,” he told his daughter. “I thought I asked you to play with your brother for an hour?”

“You did, but he’s so boring!” Lila sighed dramatically before turning to the laptop screen. “Whatcha doing?”

“Daddy’s working, I told you. I have a quick meeting and then-“

“AUNTIE NAT!” Lila shrieked right in Clint’s ear, making him, and everyone on screen, flinch.

“Hey guys, sorry ab-“ Clint started to apologize, but was quickly cut off by his daughter recounting every minute of their morning to her beloved auntie. He shot a quick text to their group chat, promising to boot the kiddo as soon as Maria popped on screen. He read their replies before going back to the screen, seeing Bruce was just signing on but walked away as soon as he saw he was connected. He tried to keep up with Lila’s mile a minute conversation with Natasha, but he kept noticing Steve obviously talking to someone just beyond the screen. Cap was definitely not alone, contrary to what he’d told them before he left on his cabin retreat, as he’d called it. _Good for him_ , Clint thought.

“You’ll need to ask uncle Steve for that, munchkin,” Clint heard Natasha say.

He noticed Steve mouthing the words to his answer, before realizing he was still on mute. “Sorry, still figuring this Zoom thing out. What do you need to ask me, Lila?” Steve was fully focused on the screen now, waiting for Lila to repeat her question, but the question of who was there still nagged at Clint.

“Can we take your shield sledding this winter? Daddy says it would probably go SUPER fast!” Lila asked him excitedly.

Steve chuckled, just as Tony popped up on screen, laughing. What was Tony laughing about?

“I’m sure we can arrange something,” Steve nodded as a boyish grin graced his face – they’d all thought of it at some point – making the little girl shriek again before going back to chatting with Natasha.

Clint was about to pick up his phone to text Thor and make sure he could get on when he noticed Steve looking over his screen yet again, but this time… yup, Tony definitely glared ever so slightly over his own camera at precisely the moment Steve mouthed _what_. He kept his eyes on both their portions of the screen, but neither of them repeated the motions again for a long while. Tony could be seen tapping away on his tablet, while Steve was now following along Nat and Lila’s conversation. Clint wasn’t buying it though. Something was definitely going on.

He watched Tony put down his tablet, and go back to the conversation, which had now shifted to some new characters on Lila’s favourite cartoon TV show. Then Steve picked up his phone, and rolled his eyes at whatever he was reading. He typed a quick response, and went back to pretending to care about firefighting dogs, and perfectly on cue, Tony picked up his tablet again. Oh, they were definitely texting! 

Clint couldn’t contain his smirk, just barely visible over Lila’s shoulder on screen. Nat quirked an eyebrow, having noticed. Clint just shook his head ever so slightly, a motion he knew she’d understand as ‘I’ll tell you later.’ Thor appeared on screen with a minute to spare before the official start of their meeting, only Maria herself missing now, but Clint couldn’t focus on Thor’s obvious lack of human technology know-how. Tony had his signature flirting face on – a slightly raised eyebrow, one corner of his lips curving up, and a glimmer in his eye that meant business – and he barely registered the larger than life presence of Thor, even as his eyes didn’t leave the screen where they all appeared. In the top right corner of Clint’s screen, Cap turned a shade of pink he had never seen on their leader, while two boxes over Tony’s lips curved up a fraction more. Clint saw them both look up for a second before they both returned their gazes in front of them, Steve blushing even more.

Maria popped up on screen, making everyone go quiet upon seeing her.

“Okay kiddo, meeting’s about to start. Go play, and Daddy will be there as soon as he can,” Clint whispered to Lila before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. She waved goodbye to everyone before scampering off to her tire swing.

 _Well, it was about damn time those two idiots got together_ , Clint thought to himself as a smile crept on his face. 

* * *

Thor's phone vibrated in his pocket and he rifled around under his layers until he could pull it out. Clint had expressed doubt that Thor would be able to get a connection on the phone in Asgard, but Thor didn't really see any reason why he wouldn't. Stark assured him the cell phone service came from space and that was something both worlds shared, and the phone was a gift from Stark himself. Of course it would work. 

Thor poked the phone until a new message appeared. 

_Tony >> Click here, bud: join.zoommeeting.com/398357752 _

Thor pressed his thumb to the message and a moment later, the faces of his teammates filled his screen. "Good evening!"

Steve smiled, waving his phone towards his camera, which must have been on a different device. "Thor! You made it!"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss such an important team meeting."

Tony smiled at him. "We're kind of… looking up your nose there, pal. Can you - like -" He gestured moving the phone, and Thor attempted to readjust, holding it awkwardly out in front of his face.

"Where is Hill? I don't see her face-square."

"She hasn't joined yet." Tony dropped his face to his tablet, his expression going unusually soft.

Thor blinked at the screen, picking out each face. Clint had Lila in his lap and she was telling the tale of her favourite television play. The square next to theirs belonged to Black Widow. "Natasha! So nice to speak with you. How is the Tower in our absence?"

"Everything's been just fine." Her gaze cut away from the screen for a moment then snapped back. "How's Asgard?"

"It's lovely to be home, but I do find I miss Earth. Where is everyone else?"

"I'm in Brazil," Bruce said. "Relaxing."

Tony looked up from his tablet, his lips twitching. "Spain," he answered shortly. "Vacation home. You guys should join me here sometime."

Steve was looking over his screen at something else, like he hadn't even heard the question. He smiled, shook his head ever so slightly, then looked back down. "I'm in a cabin in - uh - northern Canada. Taking some me time. I miss you guys though."

Thor nodded enthusiastically. "We'll have such a feast when we meet again! Tell me about Earth. Has anyone seen any good dogs lately?"

Steve brightened up and leaned forward in his chair. "Yes, actually! I was walking through the - uh - there's a park here… - and there was this little orange dog. So I asked her mom what -"

One of the empty black squares was suddenly filled with Hill's face. "Thank you for showing up today," she started, with no preamble. "You all know how important this is going to be so I appreciate you lending your time to make it happen."

Thor waved and smiled and Maria nodded back. It was so nice to have the team together again. "I'm happy to provide anything you need of me."

"We'll need you on supply back-up, first of all. Can you get the magical items from your mother's stores that we talked about?"

"Absolutely, no problem."

"Okay, great."

Hill lifted a tablet and started scrolling through, but Thor instantly became distracted by Steve and Tony. There was something odd about their movements and the way their eyes kept popping up over the camera at the same time. 

"One moment," Tony said. "I'll be right back." He stood up and made to step to the side, but then his eyes cut down and he half-stumbled, catching himself on the coffee table.

Steve jerked to the side, hands going out as if he could catch Tony, and Thor chuckled affectionately. He'd picked up this technology thing rather quickly, but Steve still seemed to be struggling. Adorable. 

And yet…

Steve's camera wobbled as if it too had been knocked, and Steve bent down, adjusting the cable of his laptop. 

No one else seemed to have noticed, all eyes on Hill as she worked her way through the pre-mission to-do list, but Thor noticed. A cabin in the north, Steve had said, and Tony had said Spain, but it seemed the co-captains had told a white lie. They were together, wherever they were.

Thor smiled. He'd caught the soft smiles and careful looks over the past few months, and apparently it had bloomed into something deeper. Young love. It was a beautiful thing. He'd have to ask Clint to remind him about Earth customs when it came to new unions. He wasn't sure if a present was appropriate, the customary Asgardian goat likely wouldn't be welcome in Avengers Tower, but surely, at the very least they needed a feast?

Once they were ready to tell them, of course. For now, Thor was happy keeping their secret.

* * *

“I’m sorry Ms. Hill, can you repeat that again?”

Bruce was settled in a large chair in the farmhouse where he was staying. So much for a quiet retreat away from work. Or at least away from Avengers business.

“All the data was sent to your private server, Dr. Banner, don’t worry,” she replied quickly before moving on to some of the points she needed Tony to look over. He nodded and tried to keep up with the newest threat to the universe, but it was all quite confusing after spending half a week meditating.

Bruce took a sip of his tea, listening to Tony try to explain some kind of portal he thought might help, depending on the recon Nat and Clint would bring back, when he noticed Steve take a sip from his own drink. That wasn’t unusual, but when he interrupted Tony, he held it at an angle that brought it close enough to the camera that Bruce could clearly see Spanish writing on it.

“Just, wait a minute here. I think, until we know more there's no point talking about opening portals again. It was stressful enough last time we had to deal with that, we don’t need a repeat,” Steve cautioned.

“Fair enough, Cap,” Tony replied with a soft chuckle and eyeroll that wasn’t filled with any of its usual snark as far as the two of them went.

Steve took another sip, and Bruce couldn’t help but wonder. Hadn’t Steve said he was in Canada? That should be French or English on that can then, not Spanish. Unless he had misunderstood? He waved the thought away. Surely, they could import specialty drinks anywhere in the world.

Maria carried on, looking at her notes. “When are you back in the country, Cap? Director Fury did want to chat with you in person about a few things. He doesn’t trust these online chat tools.”

“He’s not wrong, Ms. Hill. They do have some very lax security controls,” Bruce chimed in.

“I’m working on a new interface for video calls using all our StarkPhones. Hopefully they’ll be-“

“Gentlemen, back on track please?” Maria cut them off sternly. “As I was asking, Captain, ETA?”

“Um,” Steve thought out loud. “Sun…day?” He stretched out the word, furrowing his brow as he obviously tried to remember when he was leaving. “Sorry, I’m trying to remember the time zones.”

“The whole country is only 5 and a half time zones total,” Bruce remarked.

“Sorry, I meant my flight. I’m trying to remember when my flight is.”

Maria cut in. “Actually, Stark, when are you back? Fury needs to see you too, might as well do it at the same time.”

“Monday afternoon would be best. Not getting back until very early Monday morning, so if we can do Monday afternoon, that’s in everyone’s best interest.”

“Perfect, I’ll send you both the details when we’re done here.”

Bruce couldn’t help but think Steve really did need his vacation if he couldn’t keep track of his own schedule. Granted, even Bruce wasn’t exactly looking forward to being back in New York. One week definitely didn’t feel like it was enough.

Maria moved on to talking with Clint and Natasha about some of the recon work they’d need to complete. Tony sneezed, and Bruce let out a _gesundheit_ on autopilot. When his eyes cut to Tony’s portion of his screen, Tony was smiling – it always led to some bickering in the lab when Bruce did it. He was also holding up a drink. The exact same one Steve had been holding minutes before.

As a man of science, Bruce knew there were formulas and equations that he could use to calculate the probability that both Steve and Tony, on opposite ends of the globe, had managed to get their hands on the same beverages. He was fairly sure the odds were pretty small, but they were there.

As a man who had been friends with Tony for a while now, and shared a lab with him often, he knew no amount of science was necessary to understand this one. One of them had worked up the courage to ask the other out – Finally! – and they were both together, at Tony’s villa. Bruce shook his head lightly, wondering how he could have missed it.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Banner. You don’t agree?” Maria cut through his train of thought.

“No, I mean, yes. I- I just had an email pop-up. I wasn’t… please continue.” How did that woman manage to get them all so easily flustered?

As the conversation continued, Bruce couldn’t help but wonder if this would mean Tony would be easier or harder to work with. Regardless of that answer, he had to admit he was happy for both of them. It had been a long time coming, and they complemented each other quite well. And Bruce was happy. As long as it meant lab time wouldn’t be inconvenienced.

* * *

Nat leaned back in her chair, feet up on the edge of Tony's desk. Around her, several huge screens displayed the faces of her friends and teammates. There were benefits to having the tower to herself.

While everyone else had spread to all four corners of the globe, Nat had opted to stay at the tower, on call, ready to bring everyone else back if they were needed. But, well, they hadn't been. So while Steve enjoyed Canada, Tony enjoyed Spain, Bruce enjoyed Brazil, and Clint enjoyed the farm, Nat enjoyed a little peace and quiet in the comfort of her own home.

She dug her hand into a bag of Clint's chocolate-covered pretzels and dropped two in her mouth. JARVIS was transcribing the meeting for her, so she didn't bother writing down Hill's coordinates and parameters. She had no objections to the op as it stood, and she could review the transcript before wheels up. 

In one corner, Lila had climbed back up on Clint's lap and was petting a little stuffed cat while she sucked her thumb. Nat smiled at her, heart flip-flopping. God, what she wouldn't do for that little girl.

"Okay. That sums it up for Operation: Wisdom Tooth. Next up I want to discuss an urgent matter with you all."

Nat tensed. She hadn't had a pre-briefing for another mission.

"Operation One-Eyed Flamingo is commencing next Friday. This is a stealth mission, so keep your assignments a secret. We're on a need-to-know basis here." She lifted her tablet and started to read. "Stark - you're on cake duty. Something quality but that doesn't look too expensive, or you know he'll get all snooty about it. Thor, you're heading up the decorations team. Coulson will provide you with a budget and parameters. Rogers - dissemination. We need to get the word out without alerting authority. Banner, I need you to secure the venue. I'm thinking lab deck five. And then it'll be your emergency call that gets him down to the room once we're ready. Nat - intel. We need to dig deep and find out what presents he wants most. I'll be handing around a card to sign at the next pre-op handler's update and I expect everyone to have something more to say than, 'Happy Birthday, Director Fury.' This man keeps the lights on and that deserves a personalized message. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded.

Hill continued to review plans, but Nat's eye was caught by something not quite right on her screen. Tony and Steve's video feeds had ended up next to each other and there was something about the soft, yellow light spilling over them both that was far too similar for two people on opposite sides of the world. She sat up straighter and looked closer. If she didn't know better, she'd say they were in the same room. Steve was supposed to be a few hours before her, while Tony would be several hours later, but they were both bathed in the dimming, late afternoon light of a European time zone.

Nat pressed a button to mute her speaker. "Hey, J? Zoom in on Steve's watch." The camera obligingly zeroed in on Steve's watch. It was set to 5PM. "Canada my ass," Nat said to herself with a chuckle. She took out her phone and texted Clint, watching the screen for the moment he looked away and checked the notification.

_Someone in this meeting is a lying liar._

Clint winked at the camera.

"And I don't think I need to remind you all again that helium balloons on a helicarrier are a bad idea. Does that cover everything?"

The team all muttered their agreement.

"Okay then I think we're done he-"

"Great! Nice to see everyone!" Tony practically yelped. "Bye!"

Steve had shifted out of view but he popped his head back in front of the camera, cheeks a little pink, and waved. "See you guys soon!"

Both screens went black. Hill shrugged and then disappeared as well.

Clint, Bruce, Thor, and Nat all shared a look. 

"Were they playing footsie under their laptops?" Clint finally asked.

Bruce groaned. 

"I'm not sure what 'footsie' is but if it's a game one plays with their lover then I'd have to wager a yes," Thor supplied.

Nat nodded then looked down at her phone's calendar. "Huh. I'd thought it'd be at least three more months before they got their shit together."

Bruce shrugged. "Spain is very romantic."

"Uh uh, Bruce." Nat waggled her finger. "Steve's in Canada."

He snorted. "Oh, right."

"But we're all gonna act really surprised, right?" Clint asked.

"As surprised as Fury is gonna be when he sees what Hill planned."

"Alright good. Well, I have to get the munchkins their lunch. It was nice to see you guys."

"Bye, Clint!" Thor, Bruce, and Nat waved as Clint disconnected, then they all blinked out as well, one by one.

Nat helped herself to another handful of chocolate-covered pretzels. She smiled at the thought of Tony and Steve cozied up somewhere in Tony's opulent villa, lounging by the pool and eating cured meat and fresh bread with olives for every meal. Yeah… they deserved it.

* * *

Steve closed his laptop lid and sat back in his chair. He stretched, eyes cutting over to the couch where Tony was setting his tablet aside. "That went well, I think," Steve said.

"Oh yeah. They don't suspect a thing." Tony sauntered over to Steve and plopped himself down in his lap. "It's kinda fun having you all to myself. Sneaking around."

The late afternoon Spanish sun pooled on Tony's face. Steve leaned in for a kiss. "It is fun. I do miss the team, though. As much as I love it here with you, it'll be nice to see them again."

"And we'll tell them when we get back?"

Steve nodded. "We'll tell them when we get back."

Tony snuggled down into Steve's arms. He grinned. "Man they're going to be _so surprised."_

**Author's Note:**

> Tony Stark Bingo:  
> Collaborator Name: FestiveFerret  
> Card Number: 3137  
> Square Filled: - S2 - Secret Relationship  
> Ship/Main Pairing: Steve/Tony
> 
> Stony Bingo  
> Collaborator Name: JehBeeEh  
> Square Filled: N1 - Teammates


End file.
